No Love Poem Poem by Greg Gaul

Every time I imagine
a soft caress
I hear a black man is shot
by police while resisting
softness dissolves

Every time a song
touches my innerness
I hear of hate
against people not like us
innerness fades

Every time I hear
a tale of loveliness
they talk of laws
that oppress
love shrinks

Every time my heart
soars in togetherness
I see some explosion far away
that rains down on me
soaring stops

My mind locks in a dark place
exhausted, what next to face
no love poem can I write
if I can't see the light